This past February, I was going to a convention locally. It's actually a first game development related convention that I would be attending in the Philippines. And on that time, I thought I should change a bit. That's when I decided to do a small makeover on myself. The goal was to try out a new hairstyle through a stylist rather than a barber to do my hair.
I've been wondering what hairstyle would fit me. I really wanted one to be funky, modern, and emits a ready-to-party attitude. But, I must consider that it could be appropriate for business matters. Also, I am strict about looking clean and well-groomed and the one that looks masculine. After careful research, I've come across a soccer player that I like -- Mr. David Beckham. His Faux Hawk (Fohawk) hairstyle really fits my preference and it really looks great. The only last true test is to try it and hope it works out well on me.
Having decided what hairstyle to take, I now looked for a place where I can get my hair done. I definitely can't go to where I used to had my hair done because it's a standard barber shop. I need this to be done by a professional stylist. Knowing stylists, it is guaranteed that I have to spend more on the service than what I am used to pay in a barber shop. But, I have limited funds so I looked for a place that's within my budget. My search ended on discovering Bench Fix. That's where I had my hair done. And I'm happy about it.
Oh, right after that I thought I might need a good new suit to go to the conference. That's when I dropped by some stores looking for the long-sleeve polo I've always wanted. Again, same with the hair, it should look both professional and party-able. My model for this overall look was a European male friend when he visited in the Philippines, which fits my expectations on how I wanted to be and how it reflects my personality. And yes, I guess that's my lucky day -- I found that polo that suits me well altogether with my new hair. Pricey than my usual expenditures but the experience is something I learned that I generally get what I pay for. I'm glad I saw how my money was well spent in the process.
The next day came and it was time for the convention, which was held in SMX Convention Centre in Mall of Asia. It's called E-Services 2009 and primarily geared towards BPO companies, but for some reason Game Development was included in the tracks. In those sessions, I've finally met people from Collision Studios that are situated (but hidden) here in Manila. Mr. Philippe Erwin and Mr. Darrell Benvenuto represented Collision Studios and presented facts about Games Development as a business. Also, Chris Avellone, a well-known games designer from Obsidian Entertainment, also shared his thoughts on how to start a games studio and reach to the success similar to where his company is right now. For those who didn't know,
Obsidian Entertainment is a company that made famous games such as Neverwinter Nights 2, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2.
The whole event was OK and it felt good that it is comfortably located near home. Business-wise I learned about game biz more and how to grow a studio from it's small beginnings to a bigger one. According to the session, the key was to iterate on a small part of want you want to achieve in the end. You start iterating over and over a single feature you wanted on your first game, then another feature you wanted on the next game until you have all features on that game. This way, you gain specialization as a studio, which comforts most publishers on whether to take your projects seriously or not.
I took some photos during the event.
Click here to see them.
